Difference between revisions of "The Emancipation Centenary Pageant"
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==The [[pageant]]== | ==The [[pageant]]== | ||
| − | On 1 August 1834, Britain passed the Slavery Abolition Act which outlawed the ownership, purchase and sale of human beings as property throughout its Empire. However, the legal end of Slavery at the Cape Colony came only on 1 December 1834, with the actual date of emancipation (after a period of compulsory, unpaid | + | On 1 August 1834, Britain passed the ''Slavery Abolition Act'' which outlawed the ownership, purchase and sale of human beings as property throughout its Empire. However, the legal end of Slavery at the Cape Colony came only on 1 December 1834, with the actual date of emancipation (after a period of compulsory, unpaid "apprenticeship"), only occurring on 1 December 1838. An Historical [[Pageant]], commemorating the emancipation date of 1 December 1834, was held at the [[Green Point Athletic Track]][https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Green_Point_Stadium#] in Cape Town on 10 – 11 January 1935. |
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| + | The event was organised by the Emancipation Pageant Committee, headed by the Rev Dr Francis Gow of the African Methodist Episcopal Church. The Pageant, which was attended by large crowds, took the form of 14 "episodes" in the history of [[Coloured]] people at the Cape, including the period of slavery and eventual emancipation, and culminated in the ascension of a "ladder of progress". | ||
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| + | The political conservatism underpinning the event was quite evident from the Souvenir Brochure, as well as from the accommodating and non-confrontational tone of the event itself, as the Committee took pains not to antagonise whites by refraining from making comments about historical events which could be considered critical or controversial, including on slavery itself. | ||
==Sources== | ==Sources== | ||
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Souvenir Brochure. ''Historical Pageant, 1834 – 1934, Green Point Track, 20 – 22 January 1935''. | Souvenir Brochure. ''Historical Pageant, 1834 – 1934, Green Point Track, 20 – 22 January 1935''. | ||
| − | [[Farieda Khan]]. 1998. "Commemorating the Emancipation Centenary in the Western Cape", ''Slave Route Newsletter'', no. 4, November 1998: | + | [[Farieda Khan]]. 1998. "Commemorating the Emancipation Centenary in the Western Cape", ''Slave Route Newsletter'', no. 4, November 1998[https://www.researchgate.net/publication/387788111_Commemorating_the_Emancipation_Centenary_1998pdf] |
https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Farieda-Khan | https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Farieda-Khan | ||
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| + | Go to [[ESAT Bibliography]] | ||
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Latest revision as of 06:19, 9 January 2025
The Emancipation Centenary Pageant was an historical pageant, commemorating the emancipation of slaves in the Cape Colony.
The pageant
On 1 August 1834, Britain passed the Slavery Abolition Act which outlawed the ownership, purchase and sale of human beings as property throughout its Empire. However, the legal end of Slavery at the Cape Colony came only on 1 December 1834, with the actual date of emancipation (after a period of compulsory, unpaid "apprenticeship"), only occurring on 1 December 1838. An Historical Pageant, commemorating the emancipation date of 1 December 1834, was held at the Green Point Athletic Track[1] in Cape Town on 10 – 11 January 1935.
The event was organised by the Emancipation Pageant Committee, headed by the Rev Dr Francis Gow of the African Methodist Episcopal Church. The Pageant, which was attended by large crowds, took the form of 14 "episodes" in the history of Coloured people at the Cape, including the period of slavery and eventual emancipation, and culminated in the ascension of a "ladder of progress".
The political conservatism underpinning the event was quite evident from the Souvenir Brochure, as well as from the accommodating and non-confrontational tone of the event itself, as the Committee took pains not to antagonise whites by refraining from making comments about historical events which could be considered critical or controversial, including on slavery itself.
Sources
Souvenir Brochure. Historical Pageant, 1834 – 1934, Green Point Track, 20 – 22 January 1935.
Farieda Khan. 1998. "Commemorating the Emancipation Centenary in the Western Cape", Slave Route Newsletter, no. 4, November 1998[2]
https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Farieda-Khan
Go to ESAT Bibliography
Return to
Return to South_African_Films
Return to PLAYS I: Original SA plays
Return to PLAYS II: Foreign plays
Return to PLAYS III: Collections
Return to PLAYS IV: Pageants and public performances
Return to South African Festivals and Competitions
Return to South African Radio Plays and Serials
Return to South African Television Plays and Series
Return to The ESAT Entries
Return to Main Page
